How You Start Matters

Our staff was reflecting on the past year and the question was asked, “What did you learn last year?” One staff member shared that he learned, “How you start something matters.”

Courtesy of tableatny/Creative Commons License

Imagine a youth ministry more efficient and productive.  Imagine having margin in your week.  All of those would be possible if you started out strong.  To get there you need to change a few things. To start any project or program on the right foot you need to:

LOOK AT YOUR ATTITUDE

You need to embrace the opportunities that present themselves.  When you embrace them with a positive attitude you open yourself up to new ideas and strategies.

A reluctant attitude is a closed mind.  Sitting in your stubbornness and disappointment will only delay the work that needs to get done.

EMBRACE ORGANIZATION

How much of your week is dedicated to organization? If you are constantly sitting in a mess you’ll only find yourself distracted.  How clean your space is, and organized your schedule will impact your productivity.

GET CLARITY ON THE VISION

You need to know the WHY of what you are doing.  The WHY gives you a destination and when you know your destination you can figure our the most efficient way of getting there.

Not only do you need to know the WHY, but so does your team. Take time to think about the vision of your program and project before proceeding further.

SET MILE MARKERS

You also need to know what success looks like. Setting goals and mile markers lets you measure progress.  Start out with small tangible goals before hitting the big ones. You’ll need the momentum as you move forward.

GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY

I used to paint houses and the most important part of the job was the prep work up front. If you did that well painting was a breeze. In ministry you need to get your hands dirty in the messiness of starting a project.

At first it will be tiresome, but in the end it will pay off. Not only do you need to be willing to get in the trenches, so does the team you have around you.

How you start impacts how you finish a project. If you start poorly, deadlines and goals will be delayed. You’ll waste money and resources. Start right, and not only will you get out ahead but create the capacity for more.